This recipe for roast chicken, wine, herbs and garlic is one of my all-time favourite roast chicken recipes. It goes back a long way on my website and is the one thing I make when I’m looking for an effortlessly delicious supper. The pan juices coat the chicken making it ultra-succulent.

A tray of succulent roast chicken with wine, herbs and garlic

There might seem like an excessive amount of herbs and liquid in this recipe. Trust me you will wish you had more. I always top the tray up with a little more liquid after an hour to ensure I have enough of that delicious jus.

I have stuffed a few extra herbs along with half a lemon into the cavity of the chicken. This brightens the dish up without adding too much acidity. The wine delivers enough of that.

I have used Backsberg Smuggled Vines Chardonnay 2023 in this dish. It’s also the perfect wine to pair with it. The wine has natural acidity with chalky minerality and depth

TASTING NOTES: With lime, baked apple, cashew and butterscotch on the nose. This Chardonnay boasts vibrant and appealing acidity. Bold notes of lime, wet stone, citrus, baked apple, vanilla pod and a chalky minerality lightly dance across the palate which is matched by a silky finish.
Backsberg

Cut up pieces of the best roast chicken with wine, herbs and garlic

What herbs to use in this roast chicken with herbs and garlic

I have made this recipe so many times using a variety of fresh herb combinations.

My preference is to include the woodier herbs such as rosemary and thyme, but I always like parsley and sage too. I have used fresh oregano here which works so well with chicken, but basil adds a lovely fragrance if you have that. Just don’t add too much.

The four cloves of crushed garlic and the generous tablespoon of Dijon mustard add amazing flavour depth to this roast chicken.

You can replace the wine with verjuice or chicken stock if you would prefer to keep it alcohol-free. The alcohol in the wine cooks off over the cooking process.

A raw chicken about to be turned into the best roast chicken with wine, herbs and garlic recipe

What temperature to roast chicken?

As this is a very juicy and succulent chicken, I prefer to roast it at 180C/350F for a little longer. Many roast chicken recipes call for higher temps at around 200C, but I find that can burn the skin quite easily.

I prefer a moderate oven here and cook the chicken in three increments of 30 minutes with 2 of those on one side.

I have used this high-liquid content roasting method for a number of my other recipes such as chicken roasted with ginger and orange, Chicken roasted with Italian sausage, new potatoes and

If you prefer to roast the chicken for a shorter time using pieces you can see my recipe to do that here where I added new potatoes to make it more of a complete meal.

I love to add this pan juice to roast baby chickens stuffed with pork & sage, whole stuffed debone roast chicken and a few more delicious recipes listed below.

The best juicy roast chicken with wine, herbs and garlic recipe

What to serve with roast chicken

It almost goes without saying that roast potatoes are the perfect pairing for roast chicken and I have developed the best-ever roast potato recipe with duck fat (you can use equally successful sunflower oil).

I love my roast smashed new potatoes with brown butter sage. You could just leave off the butter and sage as this recipe has so much pan sauce.

Roasted smashed new potatoes with Parmesan are always a huge crowd-pleaser.

A crusty baguette that has been heated in the oven until crispy on the outside is always a good idea to soak up these delicious pan juices.

I love greens with my roasts like steamed tenderstem broccoli, asparagus or green beans. Since the chicken is packed with flavour I quite like the greens to be simply prepared without any flavour additions to confuse the palate.

The best succulent roast chicken with white wine, herbs and garlic recipe

A few other roast chicken recipes you might like

Roast chicken pieces in white wine, herbs & garlic with new potatoes

Roast chicken with orange and ginger

The best roast chicken with Italian sausage

Roast chicken with stout, rosemary & honey

Roast chicken with herbs, white wine & cream

Prep Time:10

Cook Time:1 30

Ingredients

1 free-range chicken
1 onion peeled and roughly chopped
1 medium carrot roughly chopped
1 few extra whole sprigs of herbs
½ lemon
3 tsp of Dijon mustard
4 cloves of garlic crushed
125 ml / 1/2 cup roughly chopped herbs such as parsley sage rosemary, thyme & oregano
250 ml /1 cup Backsberg Smuggled vines Chardonnay
250 ml / 1 cup chicken stock
2-3 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
3 Tbs butter

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F.
Place the chicken on the chopped onion and carrot in a deep-sided roasting pan making sure it’s quite a snug fit.
Fill the cavity of the chicken with a few sprigs of herbs and half the lemon.
Mix the mustard, garlic, herbs, white wine and stock together (you should have just over 2 cups) and pour this marinade over the chickens and into the cavity. Drizzle over the olive oil and rub it all over the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
Roast uncovered for 1 1/2 hours and until the chickens are cooked. Roast chicken with the breast side up for 30 minutes, then flip it over so the underside goes golden for the next 30 minutes, and then finally flip it back upright for the final 30 minutes. Baste the chicken with half the butter for the last 15 minutes. If the liquid has thinned out too much, top up with stock or water and a splash more white wine halfway through or for the last 30 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and baste with the remaining butter. Take it out the tray and set it aside on a serving platter to rest. Carve onto a serving platter disposing of the carcass or use this to make stock.
Strain the pan juices and vegetables through a fine sieve and serve this over the carved roast chicken. If necessary, reheat this on the stove or in the microwave.
Serve with roast potatoes, steamed greens or any other vegetables of your choice and of course Backsberg Smuggled Vines Chardonnay.

Notes

Store any leftover chicken in a sealed container in the fridge. The sauce will solidify into a gel consistency. Reheat in the microwave with the gel sauce which will melt into a liquid form.

This post is proudly sponsored by Backsberg Family Wines.